


Old Movies

by Mums_the_Word



Series: pre-series AU [7]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Bromance, Gen, Mind Games, Robbery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2018-01-12 04:30:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1181923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mums_the_Word/pseuds/Mums_the_Word
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter and Neal continue to play cat and mouse, but the competition is a bit different this time. Neal leaves breadcrumb clues that provide insight into his psyche. “Old Movies” is a challenge to Peter in their “figure me out, if you dare” game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Movies

**Author's Note:**

> Although part of a series, can be read as a stand alone fiction.
> 
> As always, my heartfelt thanks to Treon for the beta.

 

      Neal was tired, frustrated and heartsick. For months he had been trying to find Kate to no avail. Evidently, he had taught her too well because she had mastered the art of disappearing into the ether. It also didn’t help Neal’s state of mind that he had now acquired an annoying habit of staking out Peter Burke’s house in Brooklyn.

      With a touch of wistfulness, he would note how the Burkes sometimes strolled hand-in-hand along the sidewalk as they took their Yellow Lab to the park. He watched Elizabeth occasionally hurry home from her catering gigs with bags in tow, no doubt leftover goodies for her husband. At other times, he trailed them to the local cinema for Saturday date nights. It was the American dream; love embraced by a white picket fence. Neal wanted that so badly with Kate. However, in order to attain his dream of happily ever after, he first needed to _find_ her. He needed to get her attention! He also had to stop this sad, ridiculous Peter-stalking that would more than likely be his undoing. He decided to implement a plan.

      So, like a newly launched social debutante, Neal began his “Grand Tour” of the European continent, criminal-style, flagrant in the audacity of his felonies so that they received international press. The authorities were sure that these high-profile capers were Caffrey’s work. Peter Burke got to read about the exploits of this little jaunt in the form of Interpol bulletins from across the pond. His “postcards” read something like this:

      The “Seax of Beagnoth,” a 9th century Anglo-Saxon single edged prestige knife was stolen from the British Museum.

        _(“Wish you were here!”)_

      A very beautiful golden coin minted in the 12th century went missing from the Musee Saint-Denis.

      _(“Paris is beautiful this time of year.”)_

      “Danae,” a 14th century oil-on-canvas painting by Titian disappeared from the Galleria Nationale di Capodimonte in Naples.

      _(“The weather is extraordinary.”)_

      An Albrecht Durer 1514 engraving entitled “Melencolia I” walked away from a gallery in Germany.

      _(“Tried the bratwurst and am not a fan.”)_

     

     Peter, in his heart, knew that this was an attempt by a “star-crossed lover” to impress and, thereby, pique the interest of his lost girlfriend. It was immature, to be sure, but then Caffrey was always rashly impulsive and saccharinely romantic. Thankfully, the crime spree in Europe came to an end as abruptly as it had started. Peter wondered if the adolescent plan had worked and the guy had gotten the girl in the end. Eventually, the now familiar blocked call came through on his cell.

     “Hey, Peter,” Neal said cheerfully as if they were just picking up a conversation, even though their last phone communication had taken place months before.

      “Hey, Neal,” Peter responded. “How was your little European holiday?”

      “I’m sure that I don’t know to what you are referring,” Neal purred innocently.

      “Well, at least your little crime spree didn’t result in you or anyone else getting hurt. You were lucky, Neal, but your luck will run out someday.”

      Peter could mentally visualize Neal rolling his eyes, so he tried a different tactic to keep his attention. Knowing the young man’s love and passion for old movies, Peter stopped admonishing and had the inspiration to ask, “Have you ever seen the movie ‘Whirlpool’ by any chance, Neal?”

      “Sure,” Neal crowed. “Otto Preminger, 1949, starred Gene Tierney, Richard Conte and Jose Ferrer. Tierney’s performance, by the way, was grossly underrated in that flick.”

      “What was it about, Neal?” Peter probed. When no answer was forthcoming, Peter filled in the blanks. “It was a psychological drama depicting a woman who was a professional shoplifter, or kleptomaniac, depending on your point of view. Eventually she was manipulated and fell under suspicion for murder.”

      Neal chose to ignore the allegory, and with obvious delight eagerly pounced on the topic of old movies. “Peter, I’m truly impressed with your cinematic knowledge of film noir. Who would have guessed! I’m going to put you to the test. Let’s play a game……film trivia. I’ll give you a line from an old movie, and you have to come up with the name of that movie. No use of the Internet movie data bases or Wikipedia is allowed. If you get it right, you get a prize.”

     Before Peter could protest that he had better things to do with his time, Neal disconnected. Peter reconciled himself to accepting this challenge in the hopes that it would somehow aid in the fugitive’s capture.

      The very next day, he received a text on his phone with the following quote:

_“Yes, I have tricks in my pocket; I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.”_

It took a few days and some brainstorming with El, (Neal didn’t say that he couldn’t have a lifeline), before Peter figured it out. He even rented the DVD of the old movie to be sure before texting the answer back to Neal.

      “The Glass Menagerie,” a 1950 movie based on the play by Tennessee Williams, was his answer. The words were spoken by Tom Wingfield, the restless son of a manic mother who longs to escape his dull job in Saint Louis and see the world.

      A few days later, Peter got his prize in the mail. Nestled in mounds of excelsior and bubble wrap was an exquisite rearing glass horse with hints of gold in its flared mane and tail. When Peter had his team investigate its origin, they found that the delicate piece was a very valuable antique created by the famed craftsmen of Murano, Italy. It had been recently stolen from a wealthy collector living in the city. (So, Neal was now in New York.) Peter filed away that bit of information while his team returned the curio to its legitimate owner.

      The next quote was much easier…..one simple word.  _“Rosebud.”_

_Peter didn’t need any help with this one. It was the last line from the 1941 movie entitled “Citizen Kane,” starring Orson Wells. “Rosebud” was the name that the ruthless misanthrope Kane had given his childhood sled. Its significance has been a subject for debate since the movie was made. Film critic Roger Ebert tried his hand at summarization: “Rosebud is the emblem of the security, hope and innocence of childhood, which a man can spend his life seeking to regain.”_

      Two days later, UPS delivered a rather large crate to Peter’s Brooklyn home. After prying open the lid and peering inside, he was not surprised to find an old fashioned wooden sled with runners. He was _really_ surprised, however, to learn of its provenance. This was “the” sled used in the actual film which Steven Spielberg had purchased at auction for $60,500. It was returned, heavily insured, by air express to the film mogul. (So, now Neal was in California?)

      The game continued a week later with a new and more arcane challenge.

_“Oh, there's nothing so different about them. After all, crime is only... a left-handed form of human endeavor.”_

Peter had a hunch, but rented the movie just to be sure. His gut was spot on as he heard the quote spoken in the 1950 film noir “Asphalt Jungle,” a story about a trio of criminals who execute the perfect jewelry heist only to be double-crossed in the end. (Had this happened to Neal, Peter wondered?)

      A few days later, there was an insured package sent to Peter containing assorted pieces of jewelry from a robbery at a local shop on 46th Street. The store’s insurer was most happy not to have to make a payoff for the stolen items. (New York again). Peter gave up trying to figure out where Neal was. He seemed to be pinging back and forth from one coast to the next.

      The next quote, although seemingly apropos, was nearly Peter’s undoing.

      _“I'll give you seven years in Leavenworth, or eleven years in Sevenworth. --I'll take 5 & 10 at Woolworth's.”_

Peter had to enlist the help of his Harvard crew for this one. Aided by the Internet, (sorry, Neal, FBI agents weren’t bound by your rules), they finally came up with the name of the zany Marx Brothers movie, “Duck Soup.” The spoof was a series of pratfalls and madcap mania chronicling an heiress being duped out of millions of dollars by unscrupulous scoundrels.

Via insured certified mail yet again, a single-strand of natural pearls was sent to Peter’s home soon after. Peter was flabbergasted to learn that “Woolworth” heiress Barbara Hutton had owned this priceless piece of jewelry at one time. Before her, the necklace had once graced the throat of Marie Antoinette! This item, too, was returned to the rightful owner in Geneva. (Switzerland? Neal!)

      Clue number five was not from a movie that Peter could remember ever having seen, but El again came to the rescue, as it was more of a chick flick.

      “ _Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!”_   was a line proclaimed by Rosalind Russell in her role as “Auntie Mame,” a Warner Brothers 1958 movie. Her character was a headstrong, impulsive whirlwind who strode through life’s adversities with passion and bravado. (Yeah, that summed up Neal to a fault.)

      Neal must have somehow known that Elizabeth was helping Peter, because the prize this time was an outrageously expensive gift certificate for dinner at the “Four Seasons” restaurant in Manhattan. Much to El’s chagrin, Peter dutifully turned it in as evidence to the White Collar office.

      The trivia game finally wound down with one last text for Peter to decipher. The clue was probably the easiest to identify and surely the most profound and touching in Peter’s opinion. It was the final line from the 1942 film classic, “Casablanca,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. As the night fog settles across the tarmac behind them, the local police constable played by Claude Rains magnanimously offers not to arrest Rick (Bogart) for his crimes, and lets him escape the country. It is then that Bogart delivers this well-known line:

      _“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”_

      Peter didn’t expect anything would be delivered to his home this time. There was no need. What he and this frustrating, cocky, sometimes even bizarre fugitive shared wasn’t anything tangible. You couldn’t touch it but you could feel it, and it was most assuredly real. Peter didn’t even know how it had happened, but he had definitely earned his prize on this one.

 


End file.
